Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

In recent years, liver transplantation (LT) has been acknowledged as an acceptable option for patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related end-stage liver diseases. However, HBV reinfection is an important event affecting the long-term survival of recipients. This paper was to review the risk factors related to HBV reinfection after LT.

DATA SOURCES:

English literature was reviewed based on MEDLINE focusing on the potential factors related to HBV reinfection after LT.

CONCLUSIONS:

The successful management of HBV reinfection will only be achieved by perfect clarification of its mechanism. The new strategies include new antiviral agents, gene therapy and immune intervention, reliable use of the compromised donor livers, and so on.